The Thousandth Summer
by prettyinpinkgal
Summary: My child, listen carefully. The story I will tell you now is very important. It is a story that begins here and will be passed on to the next generation, and the next, forevermore. A story about a long, long journey...
1. Chapter 1

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hey! This was an idea that came to me after I started reading Howl's Moving Castle for the millionth time and after watching the series AIR. I hope you enjoy it :) To those who have been reading my other fanfiction, "Destiny", this is the fanfiction I mentioned!  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Howl's Moving Castle. It belongs to Diana Wynne Jones. I also do not own Air TV; Key owns it. The title "The 1000th Summer" is actually a sort of a "second title" to Air. Also, the first paragraph is the translation of the first thirty seconds of Air. A woman talks at the beginning (I can't say who that woman is) and says the paragraph, so just in case you would like to know who is talking at the beginning paragraph, it's a woman. Any other recognizable text is not mine.  
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**WARNING: Extreme spoilers for Air! Please read with your own risk! Also, this story starts just barely after the ending of Howl's Moving Castle, so some spoilers in that area as well.  
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**THE THOUSANDTH SUMMER  
**

**CHAPTER ONE: IN WHICH SOME CURSES ARE BROKEN**

_**My child, listen carefully. The story I will tell you now is very important. It is a story that begins here and shall be passed on to the next generation, and the next, forevermore... A story about a long, long journey...**_

Sophie stood apart from the others, watching everyone rejoice over the broken curses. Sophie was young, Suliman and the prince were in their usual forms, and Howl had his heart back. The Witch of the Waste was dead, as well as Miss Angorian. Everything was well and good. All the curses were broken.

Except one.

Sophie slipped away from the group and walked outside. A breeze blew her red-gold hair around, as though the strands were dancing in the wind. Silver clouds decorated the blue sky.

Ever since she was a child, Sophie enjoyed the sight of the sky. She felt a strong connection to it, even back then...

_**"Father," a small Sophie began as she stood hand in hand with her father as they ventured around field just outside of Market Chipping. It was one of their rare moments alone. Her father had just remarried a couple years ago, and he was spending much time with his new wife. There were also Lettie and Martha to take care of. Fanny had agreed to take care of the two younger ones by herself while Mr. Hatter and his eldest daughter spent some father-daughter time alone.**_

_**Now, gazing up at the neverending atmosphere, Sophie inquired softly, "Why's the sky so sad?"**_

_**Such a serious question from a four-year-old threw Mr. Hatter off. "What makes you think the sky is sad, Sophie?"**_

_**"The color. It makes me think of crying."**_

_**"Does the sky make you upset?" Mr. Hatter thought he understood what Sophie was getting at. Although Sophie had been only two when her mother passed away, she still occasionally remembered little things about her birth mother and felt remorse for her passing. The sky must remind Sophie of heaven, therefore making her upset about her mother.**_

_**The real answer again surprised Sophie's father. She gave him a big toothy grin and cried, "No! I love the sky! But..." she said as her voice grew more thoughtful, "I feel like...I don't know." She frowned with a slight pout. "I can't explain it good."**_

_**Mr. Hatter gave her a confused look, but changed the subject. Surely this serious discussion meant only that his daughter was a thinker; that was good. She'd do well in school, then. Yet Mr. Hatter felt discomforted, feeling a sense of foreboding. Shaking it off, he picked Sophie up while she laughed and he ran back to Market Chipping, their laughter carried across the expanse.  
**_

"Sophie?"

The address startled Sophie out of her thoughts, and she turned towards the castle. Howl stood there, looking disheveled from skipping his ritual of two or three (or more) hours in the bathroom. Yet the mere sight of him made her heart beat surprisingly fast. _Oh, quiet, you, _Sophie mentally chided her heart.

Howl smiled, again upsetting her heart's usual tempo. "What are you doing out here? One would think you'd want to be with your family." His smile seemed to grow a bit sad, but perhaps that was just Sophie's imagination.

"Looking at the sky," she answered honestly. She went back to gazing at the blue abyss. Sophie noticed Howl stand beside her--a bit too close for her liking--and look at the sky as well.

After a few moments of peaceful silence, he said, "It's strange. So much has happened, yet the world just goes on turning, doesn't it?"

"I know."

Howl turned to her, a teasing grin lighting up his face. "By the way, what were you doing at the Witch of the Waste's fortress? You're too strong willed to let her capture you. Did your curiousity about it get the better of you, Mrs. Nose?"

Sophie glared at him. "You know why I was over there," she growled.

He put on an innocent face. "I was thinking about the possibility of you going to save Miss Angorian, but I thought even you couldn't be so dense as to not realize she was the enemy!"

"Oh, you!" Sophie cried, throwing her hands in the air in exhasperation. How he loved to annoy her! A thought suddenly struck her: _He wouldn't be here teasing me if I didn't help him regain his heart. _She shivered, his brush with death finally hitting her full force. The grass rustled beneath her as they swayed. "How much longer will these days last...?" she whispered out loud, her heart feeling crushed.

"Sophie?" She looked over and saw Howl looking at her, his eyes no longer glass marbles. They were now filled with emotions: one being confusion, and another one...one Sophie could not name.

He continued. "What did you say?"

Sophie shook her head. _I don't know what to do. I want to stay here at the castle with Michael and Calcifer and...him, but... _She bit her lip. She steeled herself, and forced herself to become stronger than the feelings she felt. Then she forced herself to look at him, her eyes serious and pained.

Howl blinked. "Sophie, what were you saying, about 'these days...'?"

She cut him off. "Howl. You know what you said earlier?"

A feeling of dread started sinking into Howl's newly-regained heart. "Yes, what about it?"

"I may not be able to live happily ever after." With that, Sophie walked quickly towards the castle, leaving behind the man she loved.

**Prettyinpinkgal: First chapter and the angst and drama are already starting! Sorry about the shortness. I'm going to focus more on my other HMC fic "Destiny", but I will update this story as soon and as often as I can. Please read and review! Thank you!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hello! Here's another chapter for all of you awesome readers and reviewers! Merry Christmas! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HMC or AIR.**

**THE THOUSANDTH SUMMER**

**CHAPTER TWO **

She couldn't stay here. No matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much she wanted to stay here with Howl and live happily ever after, it was a fool's dream. She simply wouldn't be allowed to. It was impossible.

...She would never reach it, would she?

"Sophie," Fanny said, holding Sophie's hands and startling her stepdaughter from her thoughts. "Are you going to stay here? I don't really think it's proper, but I suppose you're a sensible girl and--"

"No," Sophie cut in. "I'm not staying here."

Fanny blinked in surprise. "But Sophie, I thought you said you were going to live, how did you put it, happily ever after with Howl?"

"It was a silly thing to say," replied Sophie, her voice and face expressionless.

Howl walked in just then, his face looking both confused and annoyed. "What has gotten into you?" he demanded. "You agreed--"

"As I was saying, it was a silly thing to say. It'll only cause problems if I'm here."

"Sophie, be reasonable..." Howl began.

"Sophie," Fanny cut in. "If you really don't want to stay here, you could stay with your stepfather and I..."

"I'm not living with any of you."

There was silence in the castle.

"Why ever not, Sophie?" Martha asked, who was holding Michael's hand tightly.

Sophie looked at her half-sister. Martha was quickly approaching the age Sophie was when--

"Because," Sophie said. "It'll be safer for everyone. There was a reason I kept the curse on myself to stay as an old woman. I don't want to say anything more, but please believe me when I say that it's the only way. Now that I'm young again, I have to stay away from all of you." In a quieter voice, she added, "I'm sorry."

Howl grabbed her hand, knowing that she would be more likely to say more if she wasn't speaking to such a big group. He drug her out the door, closed it, and demanded, "Sophie, why did you bother saying you wanted to stay here if you were just going to take it back?"

Sophie looked at him, her eyes filled with pain, yet mature with a unhappy knowledge. "I was happy," she answered honestly, a slight smile on her face. "I was so relieved you were okay, I didn't even think about the c--well, it doesn't matter now. But thank you, Howl. I've gotten a bit closer to my goal, but I don't think I'll ever completely reach it."

"Stop talking in riddles, Sophie," Howl shouted, desperate to understand why the woman he loved--his woman true and fair--was leaving him.

Sophie frowned and looked away. "You always talked in riddles before, you know. Talking about things like Wales and Denmark that no one but you would understand." She looked back at him, smiling so he'd know she was kidding.

"Sophie," Howl said, his voice pleading now. "Tell me what's wrong. I'll help you."

She shook her head, her red-gold hair bouncing. "You can't break it."

Howl stared at her. "'Break it'? So it's a curse then? Was I too late saving you? Did the Witch put another curse on you before I got to her castle?"

"Howl, this isn't your fault. Please don't think that," Sophie begged. This was tearing her apart. This dratted curse! "I've..." What was she doing? He can't know. She couldn't tell him the details of the curse.

Why did she always have to leave the people she loved?

Howl stared at her more intently now, and Sophie knew he was trying to find the curse in her. "It's ages old," he said finally, obviously surprised. "It's so far in you, it's almost as if..." His voice trailed off, and he looked Sophie in the eye. "As if you were born with it."

The breeze ruffled Sophie's skirts and Howl's suit, the flowers bending and swaying.

"You're staying here," Howl said finally.

"Howl," Sophie began to protest.

"You're staying here no matter what, whether you want to or not. I can't tell what this curse will do, but I'll break it. I swear," Howl told her, grabbing her and pulling her back to the castle.

"Howl, no! You don't know what you're saying!" But even if Sophie used her powers to make him stop, she knew it wouldn't work. Howl was more powerful than she was. Not to mention, she didn't have the strength of will to leave. She loved living at the castle.

But no one would love living there once the curse came back.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I'm very sorry for another short chapter. But at least it's an update. On another note, I got all the Air TV DVDs for Christmas (yay!!) so I'm very happy. XD I didn't cry, but I almost did. I did cry the first time I watched it online though TT. So if anyone has yet to watch Air, expect this story to only get sadder.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prettyinpinkgal: Hello! Here's another chapter for all of you awesome readers and reviewers! Happy New Year! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HMC or AIR.**

**THE THOUSANDTH SUMMER**

**CHAPTER THREE **

She was dreaming. The sky opened up before her, and she was soaring above the white, majestic-looking clouds. It was breathtakingly beautiful, yet she also felt very sad. Sophie looked behind her and saw a pair of beautiful wings on her back, pushing her higher and higher as she soared on the wind.

* * *

Sophie opened her eyes, feeling upset indeed. Already, it was starting. She sighed, changing into her grey dress and leaving her little room beneath the stairs. "Good morning," Sophie said tentatively, unsure of how she would be greeted after yesterday. 

"Morning, Sophie!" Michael said cheerfully, although it was obvious he was forcing it. His eyes held confusion.

Calcifer, never one for beating around the bush, said bluntly, "What was the deal with yesterday?"

Sophie ignored him, turning to Howl, who had remained silent. "Good morning, Howl," she said quietly.

"Good morning." And that was all. He didn't even look at her. Sophie sighed, knowing he would continue to act like this until she spilled the details of her curse. But there was no use worrying them when there was nothing they could do about it.

They ate in silence, all of them thinking about the curse. Michael, deciding to break the heavy silence, said, "It's supposed to be a clear day today."

Clear enough to see the sky, Sophie added mentally. "I'm not too hungry today," she said as she gave her bacon to a very grateful fire.

"Are you going to tell us or not." It wasn't a question. Howl's voice was emotionless.

"I'm not," replied Sophie. She opened the door and left.

At least, she would have left. It was a bit difficult with an adult lying on the doorstep, sleeping.

"Who's that?" Calcifer came over (how much he enjoyed being out of that dratted hearth!) as well as Howl and Michael. The man looked young but seemed to have greyish hair. Howl was not surprised by this, however. After all, he used to dye his hair all sorts of ways. Now he just keeps his hair blond.

The stranger wore a black shirt with long pants. He was not dressed in Inglish style. In fact, he seemed to be dressed as if he were from Howl's world.

"Excuse me," Howl said, poking the strange man to wake him up.

He did not stir.

"Hey!" Howl tried again.

Still, the young man did not awaken.

Finally, Howl yelled at the top of his lungs, "WAKE UP!"

"R-RAMEN SETO!" cried the man as his head came up, ramming Howl in the jaw.

Sophie, Michael, and Calcifer stared, vaguely thinking that that must have hurt. Howl bit off a curse and jumped up. Casting a spell, he explained to the others, "He speaks a different language, I think. This is so we can all understand each other."

The man looked around as he stood up, now wide awake as he rubbed his sore head. "Uh, hi," he said awkwardly. His eyes landed on Sophie, and they stared at each other.

After a few moments of this, Howl cleared his throat and moved closer to Sophie, but neither the stranger nor Sophie noticed. Then, Sophie said in a small voice, "Yukito?"

"Sophie," breathed Yukito.

Howl looked at the couple. "You two know each other?" he said in a tone that startled the two out of their thoughts.

"Y-yes. Yukito's...an old friend of mine. But I thought..." Sophie stared some more, then screamed, "YOU HUGE IDIOT!" She began whacking Yukito, tears in her eyes as Yukito tried to get her to stop.

"Sophie, geez! Cut it out! SOPHIE!" cried Yukito as he tried to stop her.

Howl sighed and grabbed Sophie from behind, although he secretly enjoyed Sophie attacking this intruder. "You fool! I thought you had died, and you didn't even TELL ME you're alive!?! Gah!" Her anger faded, then the sadness took over. Tears slid down her cheeks as she cried, "I was so sure it was all my fault!"

Howl's grip loosened and he held her comfortingly as she cried. Meanwhile, he glared fiecely at Yukito for making Sophie cry. Sophie NEVER cried. It was all he could do not to use words of power on him.

Yukito's expression softened, his golden eyes growing sorrowful. "I was sent back to my world before I could do anything. I'm so sorry, Sophie. I really didn't mean--"

Sophie cut him off, letting go of Howl and turning back to Yukito, her eyes blazing as fury overwhelmed her again. "What was it you used to say? Oh, yes: YOU SUCK!" She was so bewildered upon seeing Yukito after all these years, so angry, so upset, she knew she could not behave rationally. So she said, "I'm going for a walk. I need to sort things out. But no leaving without telling me again!" She put on some shoes and left the castle, slamming the door behind her.

Yukito laughed nervously. "She's gotten a bit of a temper over the past three years. Although," he added as an afterthought, "I guess I can't really blame her."

Calcifer went back to his hearth, getting comfortable in case there'd be a good fight. Michael quietly went back to his seat and began eating, keeping his eyes on Howl to make sure he didn't do anything stupid. He, for one, had noticed Howl's death glare.

"So, you know Sophie," Howl said carefully, trying to keep his temper under control. This Yukito person was, or at least had been, Sophie's friend. Nothing more, right? He could manage to act like a gentleman.

"Yeah," Yukito said, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. "But, I don't understand. She's..."

"What?" Howl asked, a sinking feeling coming over him for some reason.

"Well, it's just that... No, I suppose she would tell you, although you both seem pretty close. She's too worried about others and how they'd react to the news." Yukito seemed to be speaking to himself now, not to Howl.

"Are you talking about her curse?" Howl asked quietly.

Yukito looked up at him, obviously surprised. "So she did tell you?"

"Only that she was under a curse at all. She refuses to tell us what the details of the curse it, though. Do you know?"

Yukito hesitated, then said, "I probably shouldn't tell you. It's really up to her. But I'll try to convince her to tell you. It might be pretty hard though; she can be pretty stubborn."

"I've noticed," Howl said wryly. He regarded Yukito, then asked, "How exactly do you know Sophie? You're not from this world, are you?"

"I'm from a country called Japan," Yukito said carefully, knowing that most inhabitants of this world did not know the existance of other worlds. Then again, most people from his own world thought the same way.

"I know where that is. I'm from the same world as you, then. I'm from the country Wales."

Yukito looked at him with a blank expression. "Huh?"

"It's next to England," Howl explained.

The blank look disappeared and an enlightened one took its place. "Ah! I see. Man, I thought I was the only one from a different world! And I know Sophie from the last time I arrived in Ingary, back three years ago."

"Oh really." So he and Sophie had known each other for a while. Howl's dislike for Yukito grew more. "What exactly were you doing in Ingary?" Howl could not sense that Yukito had any powers himself to transfer himself to Ingary.

Yukito explained, "Well, I had been minding my own business in Japan when all of a sudden I looked around and found myself wandering around. It took me forever to find the nearest town, Market Chipping, and when I got there I passed out from hunger."

At that moment, Yukito's stomach rumbled. "Seems like history's repeating itself," he said as Michael offered him his meal.

Little did the others know that his words held multiple meanings.

**Prettyinpinkgal: I hate this chapter. I don't know why, I just do XP But I'm happy I introduced Yukito. This story's moving along quicker than I had anticipated. Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Thanks very much!  
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